Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-23
THE APPRENTICE QUESTION.


A strike prevails in the East among
class of workmen who are better paid than
any others, because the employers desire
to have American boys learn the trade.
The workmen object, except that given
small number may be apprenticed. So
long as the gate is open and foreign work
men freely admitted, why shut the doors
OF the trades to our own children? 1t is
the very logic of folly to "bar out" the
American boy and drive him to hoodlumism
while admitting and making room for
alien workmen
Last year, says the Massachusetts, Labor
Commissioner, with steerage fare across
the Atlantic but SIS, over 5000 skilled
workmen came to America, worked the
summer season through without protest
from the trade-unions at such wages as
they never receive in Europe, and with
the oncoming winter returned to their
foreign homes with their earnings At the
same time the American born boys found
the doors of skilled trades closed in their
faces, and went, all over the land, into
stores and offices, and struggled as best
they might at vocations not calculated to
hit them properly for life.
If the immigration doors were closed,
! there would be much more of reason in
the claim of the unions that it is injurious
to all, ard beneficial to none, to train SO
many apprentices that the supply of jour-
neymen and master workmen will presently
exceed the demand, and thus bring about
lower wages and Encouragement. But if ii
Is wise and justifiable for skilled workmen
to combine to limit apprentices, it is
equally as defensible for employers to form
combinations for the purpose of expressing
workers. Let us suppose those in all trades
and vocations Of every nature to combine
to prevent all except limited number
from obtaining employment in such voca-
tions, where would we be led? Certainly
to the driving of vast number into en-
forced idleness, and idleness is the father
OF crime and misery.
If the doctrine for which the silver
smiths contend in New York to-day is car
ried out in all its fullness, what will the
unions do about the technical and manual
training schools that are springing up all
over the land? Do they propose to put
boycott upon these aids to humanity a?
Suppose men take it into their own hands,
as many do, to train their sons for trades
independently of the unions, what will
these organizations do about it e? If their
doctrine is sound in its defenses, and right
policy for all men to adopt, then it ought
to be reflected in the laws of the land, and
the force and authority of the Government
be brought to bear to give it effect. In
that case we would have the law forbidding
all beyond certain number acquiring any
of the arts and skilled trades for if it
is good rule for one it is for all. The
great surplus of workers would then of
necessity be driven to the ranks of I'M
skilled labor by this monopolization We
would thus have limitation put upon
those who, no matter what their natural
ability and taste, should be trained in
portrait and landscape painting, in de-
signing, in sculpture, in modelling, in
music for q livelihood, in banking, in the
art of selling classes of goods in railroad
ing, in agriculture and all else, and by
such process we would hope to secure
that equal distribution which would give
all something to do at good wages.
II there are any other rational laws than
those of supply and demand, or COMPETE
ton, to regulate these matters, the world
has not yet discovered what they are. De-
mand is the director of industry. As the
supply increases the improvement in its
quality will increase also, and those best
fitted 10 accomplish will command employ
ment, and fluctuations of demand and
supply will always be marked by corre-
spending adjustment of production and
labor to meet them.